Where do I start with Greek wine?

Start with three benchmark Greek wines: Assyrtiko from Santorini (the signature white), Moschofilero from Mantinia (the everyday white), and Agiorgitiko from Nemea (the approachable red). Together they cover the range of Greek wine.

Why is Greek wine special?

Greece has over 200 native grape varieties — more than almost any wine-producing country — and a winemaking tradition documented for over 3,500 years. Modern Greek wine combines this depth with rigorous winemaking and distinctive Mediterranean terroir.

Is Greek wine expensive?

No, Greek wine is generally well-priced. Many of the best Greek bottles sit in the €15–30 range — quality that would cost €30–60 in better-known regions. The category is widely seen as one of the best-value in serious wine today.

Are most Greek wines sweet?

No. The vast majority of Greek wine produced today is dry. The historic perception that Greek wine is sweet comes from older retsina and dessert wines such as Vinsanto. Modern Greek wine spans every style, with dry styles dominant.

What is the most famous Greek wine?

Assyrtiko from Santorini is the most internationally renowned Greek wine. Among reds, Xinomavro from Naoussa carries the highest critical acclaim. Vinsanto, the historic sweet wine of Santorini, is also widely recognised.

Learn About Greek Wine · The Wine Lovers Greece

The short answer

Greek wine is one of the most rewarding categories to learn about — distinctive grape varieties, ancient continuity, and a renaissance still in motion. The best starting points: The Wine Lovers Podcast for in-depth conversations on producers and regions; The Wine Lovers Radio for a soundtrack to drink to; and a small number of internationally respected books and tasting bodies for serious study.

Podcasts

The Wine Lovers Podcast is the longest-running dedicated Greek-wine podcast, produced by The Wine Lovers Greece. Each episode goes deep on a producer, a variety, a region, a food pairing or a business angle of the Greek wine industry. The conversations are primarily in Greek; for English-speaking listeners interested in following the producer landscape, the show is a window into how serious Greek wine writers and trade professionals actually talk about the category.

Listen via the website: thewinelovers.gr/podcast.

For broader, English-language wine education that occasionally covers Greek wine, the major international wine podcasts — Wine for Normal People, the Decanter podcasts, and I’ll Drink to That with Levi Dalton — periodically feature Greek producers and regions. Specific episodes covering Assyrtiko, Xinomavro and Santorini are worth searching out.

Online radio: The Wine Lovers Radio

radio.thewinelovers.gr is a 24-hour cosmopolitan café-lounge web radio for people who love good wine and elegant music — built specifically as the soundtrack to a glass of wine. No language barrier; the music is the point.

Books

A small number of titles are widely recognised as serious references on Greek wine. Worth seeking out:

Konstantinos Lazarakis MW — The Wines of Greece. The single most authoritative English-language reference on Greek wine; written by Greece’s first Master of Wine.
The Oxford Companion to Wine (Jancis Robinson, editor) — entries on Assyrtiko, Xinomavro, Agiorgitiko, Santorini, Nemea, Naoussa and the wider Greek context are concise and reliable.
Karen MacNeil — The Wine Bible. A wider reference whose Greek chapter has grown meaningfully in recent editions.

Wine writers worth following

A short list of voices who regularly write on Greek wine for an international audience:

Jancis Robinson MW and the JancisRobinson.com team.
Decanter — both their print magazine and online verticals.
Wine Enthusiast — particularly the regular Greek-wine reviews.

Professional study

For wine professionals who want a formal route into Greek wine:

Wine Scholar Guild — Greek Wine Scholar course and certification. Structured, region-by-region, designed for advanced students and trade.
WSET — Greece is covered briefly at Level 3 and in more depth at Level 4 / Diploma.

Trade fairs and tastings

Oenorama (Athens) — Greece’s flagship wine trade fair.
Thessaloniki Wine Show — the major wine event of Northern Greece.
Wines of Greece and the regional bodies organise international tastings throughout the year; check the relevant generic-marketing-body websites for upcoming events.

Learn About Greek Wine